Lando Norris sits second to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, 62 points in arrears with eight races remaining.
He finished third in the Italian Grand Prix last time out, having started from pole, while Verstappen was only sixth.
That translated into an eight-point swing in their battle for the world title, but it could have been more.
Norris lost the lead to team-mate Oscar Piastri at the second chicane in Monza, a move that opened the door for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to also steal a place.
It was a sequence of events that has since raised the question as to whether McLaren needs to employ team orders to aid Norris’ chances.
The 24-year-old himself has expressed reservations about such a call, but admitted he’d also welcome the help.
The complication remains that Piastri is, mathematically at least, still in contention for the title.
At 106 points back from Verstappen, his task is far more difficult and relies on the results of others.
For Norris, victory in every remaining race would get him across the line no matter where Verstappen ended up – an admittedly near-impossible quest, but his fate nonetheless lies in his own hands.
In Monza, Norris and Piastri operated under “Papaya Rules,” McLaren’s own terminology for the rules of engagement between its cars on track.
In essence, the pair were free to race provided they did not make contact.
That position however is set to be reviewed off the back of Piastri’s bold opening lap pass, and Norris’ title position.
“We like to review, together with the drivers; look at the videos, understand their point of view, and then we will asses together whether they were fully compliant or not,” team boss Andrea Stella explained.
“We will take the learning, if there is any learning that we need to take.
“Then we will adjust the Papaya Rules such that they allow us to pursue, in the best possible manner, both the constructors’ championship and the drivers’ championship, because we have to be now in condition to acknowledge not only the constructors’ championship is possible, but even from a drivers’ point of view, with the performance we have at the moment in the car, and some of the struggles we see with Red Bull, it is definitely possible.”
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The challenge, as Stella sees it, is employing team orders in a way that is not ultimately detrimental to the team.
While Norris has the better chance at the title, Piastri remains in contention – to favour one would end the hopes of another.
Stella’s two drivers are also young and on longer-term contracts; any relationship baggage created now is likely to remain within the organisation for some time.
It’s a tightrope Stella has to walk, keeping the team harmonious while maximising its chances in both title fights – two outcomes that are seemingly at mutually exclusive.
“Both drivers are mathematically in conditions to [win the championship], but Lando is obviously in the best position from a numbers point of view,” Stella noted.
“So I think if we want to give support to one driver, we definitely have to pick the one that is in the best position.”
Stella added that, while Norris is qualifying well, his race sharpness in Monza wasn’t where it needed to be and is an area where he can improve.
“If anything with Lando, we need to adjust some little racing things which may help him, may hep us capitalise on pole position,” Stella noted.
The McLaren team boss is also wary of attaching labels to his drivers, and clearly defining Norris as ‘Number 1’ within the team.
Having worked at Ferrari during Michael Schumacher’s dominant era, he’s seen first hand how a 1-2 driver dynamic can work, and equally how it can backfire.
“Number 1 kind of works as a headline, but I’m not sure it works very well in the real words in terms or what does it mean,” Stella questioned.
“What do you do if we, for instance – let’s say hypothetically that we conclude that in corner four, Lando just braked too early and Oscar naturally had the possibility to take the lead; then what does that mean if you are Number 1? You kind of swap the lap after?
“It’s just very difficult to implement this definition in the real word,” he contended.
“I think it’s better to keep working as a team, get the opinion of both drivers and then work together to try and pursue this objective in both championships.
“We were a little cautious, even before Monza, but I think now we see that McLaren can compete in circuits where last year we were not competitive.
“This could be a very important weapon for Lando in particular.”
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